STiR is pleased to announce the successful delivery of our first ever virtual institutes, as part of the TDC programme in Delhi. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve been unable to deliver institutes in their traditional format – large meetings of Teacher Development Coordinators from every government secondary school in Delhi – so we have experimented with remote delivery. These sessions took place between 23-27 July 2020.
As part of STiR’s Covid-19 response activities in partnership with the Delhi government and the State Council for Educational Research and Training, we’re delivering content to Teacher Development Coordinators which focuses on socio-emotional wellbeing (including resilience and active self-reflection). Designed in consultation with state officials, each session has been planned and facilitated by officials from the District Institutes of Education and Training across Delhi. We have provided support in using virtual platforms, but we’ve been very excited by the outstanding levels of engagement from Mentor Teachers as they have overcome technological challenges and worked at all hours to make these sessions a success.
Overall, participation was excellent with 1,024 Teacher Development Coordinators and almost 180 Mentor Teachers in attendance. Levels of enthusiasm were extremely high, and our team were inspired by the intrinsic motivation, ownership and accountability shown by all stakeholders as they engaged with the content and discussed how they can best support teachers and children through this difficult period.
Senior Programme Manager Waseem Ahmed said: “Our team have been so motivated by the collaboration, cooperation and contribution we have seen from the TDCs this week. We’re so proud to be working alongside the Delhi government to deliver this programme, and look forward to seeing what we can achieve in the year ahead.”
Mr. B P Pandey, Officer on Special Duty at the Directorate of Education in Delhi, said: “It was heartening to see the intrinsic motivation shown by the district officials and TDCs during the sessions. Since this was delivered online, everyone had their concerns regarding its quality. However, the mastery shown by officials in adapting to new technological tools and precision session planning made the ‘impossible’ possible. The participation level and sharing of practical experiences by all stakeholders, regardless of their Covid-19 situation, was inspirational. The ownership showcased by every stakeholder has been instrumental in the success of these sessions.”
